It was announced on Wednesday that an video posted on the internet showing United States Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters in Afghanistan will be investigated to the fullest extent by the Pentagon.
The first notice of the video occurred late Tuesday night on YouTube right before the midnight hour. The video has a caption that indicates the Marines are members of Scout Sniper Team 4, a Marine Corps unit that has been serving on the front lines of the Afghanistan war this year.
The video is just 39 seconds long but it shows Marines wearing full combat gear while urinating on the bodies of three dead men who are bearded and who are dressed in Afghan garb. On the video, the soldiers can be heard joking and laughing, with one saying, “Have a great day, buddy.”
Desecration of corpses during wartime violates military law and can also lead to court-martial.
A Marine Corps spokesman, Capt. Gregory Wolf, said that nothing regarding the video has been confirmed (including the authenticity and the origin of it). The Captain also said that the “actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our corps.”
“This matter will be fully investigated,” Wolf said.
The video went viral almost immediately, showing up on hundreds of websites. The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement on Wednesday condemning the contents of the video.
“If verified as authentic, the video shows behavior that is totally unbecoming of American military personnel and that could ultimately endanger other soldiers and civilians,” said Nihad Awad, the group’s national executive director.
The person who posted the video, identified as ‘semperfiLoneVoice,’ has not commented on the video. He or she did make their thoughts about the video clear though by posting the following caption along with in on the internet:
“i thought marines were suppose to do the right thing when no one is watching,” it says.
